"Uhhh . . . laundry . . . clothes." Her heart beat in double time.
"Thank you," I said as I grabbed the basket from her. "Anything else?" I asked after a few seconds of holding my clothes.
"Uh. No. Thank you." Her face blushed red, but she turned to run down the hallway before I could ask her why. I could only shrug before I hooked my left foot around the back of the door, slamming it closed behind me.
I hadn't realized that they took my clothes to clean, but it was probably a good thing. I was about to choose between wearing clothes that I had worn for one week and smelled like I had rolled in horse shit or ones that I had worn for two weeks and smelled like cow shit.
I figured I would probably be meeting new people today, so I picked my nicest pair of pants and the loose gray tunic. Both had been obtained at the camp in the jungle. Our encounter with the Vanlourn soldiers felt like it had happened a lifetime ago, while the memory of my father and brother’s murders was so fresh in my mind they could have died yesterday. Time became a very relative and pliable thing when one had been sleeping for centuries.
Paug's door opened across the hall and he knocked on my door.
"You shaved!" he said when I opened it.
"Yes. I got tired of the hair. I used the bathtub as well. The water worked just like you showed me." His face lit up. My friend was easy to please, but his big smile reminded me that I still had to tell him and Nadea that I wasn't the O'Baarni.
"Are you hungry?"
"Always."
"Let's go break our fast with Iarin." I nodded and we walked down the hall to the quiet woodsman's room.
"Ahh. Perfect timing!" he said as he opened the door, unleashing the tantalizing scent of the food that had already been placed on the table in his room. It was loaded with an enormous pot of eggs, steaming loaves of yeasty fresh-baked bread, dishes of golden butter and crumbly, blue-veined cheese, ripe green and orange fruits, two pitchers of water, and a large flagon of cider. I was always hungry, but the sight and scent of the food set my mouth watering and I breathed in deeply through my nose to savor the aroma.
"I was about to come get you both. I rang the bell to ask a servant where we might go to get some foodstuffs and she said, 'I'll just bring you up whatever you would like.’ I recalled how our skinny friend here likes to eat his bodyweight in meat for every meal, so I ordered enough for six people. It just got here."
We set in on the food like three starving men. It was the best meal I remembered eating, even if I could only recall the past month and a few days of my previous life. It took half an hour for us to devour the feast. We didn't speak much, unless it was to praise the deliciousness of the spread, ask for water or apple wine to be passed, or compliment the burp of satisfaction we each released in turn toward the end.
"Ahhhh. I could get used to this,” Iarin said as he leaned back and took a swig of wine. "I hope Nadea will keep me around for a few more weeks so I can put some weight on."
"She hired you for this job?" I asked, hoping that I understood the language enough to infer what he meant. I never asked why the tracker accompanied Nadea and Paug. I guessed he was part of their country and served Nadea.
"Yep. I'm kind of known for traveling around the world and getting in and out of tight spots. I can also keep my mouth shut if the gold is right. It is right with this deal." He smiled at me. I liked Iarin. He didn't talk much, but when he did the words that came out of his mouth always seemed to be useful. There was something familiar about him that put me at ease and made me feel more welcomed and comfortable in this world.
"Have you heard from Nadea?" Paug asked as he looked at Iarin. He shrugged and then looked at me. I shrugged as well. "I wonder what the plan is for the day?"
"I don't mind sitting around and doing absolutely nothing, except eating and drinking of course!" Iarin said as his chair tipped dangerously back on two legs. "We need a break." I nodded in agreement, even though my body begged to go do something active.
"I'm going to go see if I can find her or my grandfather," Paug said as he stood up. He looked over at me. "Are you going to be here, or in your room?"
"I wanted to walk around and explore the castle," I said, but his face quickly crumpled into a frown.
"I don't think that is a good idea. You might get lost, or it might take us a long time to find you if we need you. Can you stay in one place?" I sighed.
"I'll go back to my room then." I tried to hide my disappointment.
"Great. I'll come get you when I find Nadea." The three of us parted and I headed back across the wide stone hallway to my room.
I paced for a few minutes and then took inventory of my bag. Then I checked my swords to make sure they were satisfactory, I sighed when I realized I had sharpened them a few days ago and their condition remained unchanged.
An hour passed and I got thirsty so I pulled on the cord to summon a servant. Within a few moments there was a knock on my door.
"How can I help you?" This girl was older than the one that brought my laundry. Pretty, with dark brown hair cut close to her neck, and a scattering of freckles across her features. She looked me up and down before her cheeks turned red. The blush made her almost beautiful. Not as good-looking as Nadea or Jessmei, but I hadn't spent time around any other women in the last month.
"Can I have some water and maybe beer or some wine?"
"Would you like any food?" She looked down at the crotch of my pants again and she reddened more.
"Fruit would be fine. Some cheese and bread too?"
"Yes of course. It will be my pleasure. I'll be back." She turned and left.
Within fifteen minutes she knocked on the door again.
"It is a nice day. Would you like to eat on the balcony?" She said as she pulled in a large tray through the door. She was thin but had defined muscles on her arms.
"I had forgotten about the balcony. That sounds good."
"The warriors train in the yard that your room overlooks. There are soldiers here from four different kingdoms! They are doing some sparring matches down there. I am surprised you haven't been watching," she said as she tried to open the door. I quickly took the tray from her so she wouldn't drop it.
"I didn't know that." I wondered if they were here in preparation for the anticipated onslaught of Ancients, or if this was a normal part of Nia’s training practice. I was curious to observe Nia’s army, I knew from my memories that I was strong and well-trained, but I still wasn’t sure if I was exceptional, or if the few assassins and soldiers I had defeated on our journey were particularly weak and unskilled. My assumption was that all the modern humans were slow in comparison to the warriors of my time.
"Yes, there they are," she said, as she pointed down into the courtyard, where about sixty men in various uniforms and armor stood around in a circle. Two men danced inside, trying to hit each other with wooden swords. "Sit down please," she instructed before she arranged the plate of food for me on the table.
"If you need anything else, just ring the bell. I am here until about two hours after sunset. So if you need anything at all please ring," she repeated with a smile. I was still trying to piece together what words meant when emphasized in this language. Maybe the pretty girl inferred that she wanted to provide me with sex?
"I'll keep you in mind," I said as I picked up the glass of water and sipped it. She smiled and looked down before she went back inside. I watched her hips sway as she retreated. If I wasn't occupied later tonight I would find out if my assumption about her was correct.
I cut a piece of cheese and some fruit while I looked down to the soldiers. They were cheering and yelling at the two men circling each other. One wore the colors of Nia, the other wore blue. I figured it was probably a man from Brilla.
After a few minutes the Brilla soldier went down from a nasty thwack to the head. Luckily, the swords were padded and I doubted any serious damage was done. The man from Nia helped the man from Brilla up and they hugged for a second. My head spun like I w
as falling.
His hand grabbed my neck and tore me off of the bed. It was a bunk bed and I was on top. The air left my body as my head broke my fall. He leaned his full weight on my throat and spots began to form in my vision.
"I'm going to fucking kill you," he whispered into my ear as he ground his forearm into my larynx. His face still dripped blood from when I had smashed it with the mace. I had expected this to happen, so I was prepared. I still couldn't walk so it would have been impossible to get out of this situation.
He hadn’t seen the dagger up my sleeve, but he felt it slice open a massive gash in his stomach. His intestines spilled out over me in a hot mess of steam, and he gasped in pain. The pressure on my neck released as he moved his hands to his stomach in an attempt to push the organs back into his body.
That was a big mistake.
My right hand reached up and grabbed the side of his neck a split second before I pulled myself up and rammed the dagger harder into his stomach. I felt it grind off his spine and rip through his back. He gasped again in agony and I pulled the dagger out and slammed it in again. My hand and arm were covered with his blood. It gushed out of his body like a red waterfall.
"Wait. Stop!" he cried as he fell on top of me. I pushed the dagger to the edge of his throat.
"What?" I whispered in his ear. I was ready for the kill. This man had been harassing me since I got here. Payback would be a ride into oblivion on the point of my blade.
"You win! You beat me. Fuck, man. I don't want to die now. Not like this. I'm sorry for bullying you," he slobbered over my face. His warm blood pooled over my stomach like he was pissing on me. I remembered my father lying dead on the ground as the blood flowed out of his body and onto the grass. I had no more tears for that.
"Fine. I'll let you live." I heaved him off me and he sobbed. He pulled and pushed his organs back into his stomach as he collapsed next to me on the floor. After a few minutes of frantic movement, he was still.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to healing like this. I should have died a hundred times already. But I keep coming back. This must be hell," he said through gasps of pain.
"It is hell. The Elvens are our keepers here."
"What's your name kid?"
"Kaiyer."
"I'm Thayer. Sorry again, Son of Lightning. You know, we are both sons of, eh? Your father dead too?”
“Yes.”
“What did he do?”
“He was a blacksmith. Yours?”
“Carpenter. Fitting huh?” I nodded at the play on words. Thay meant ‘wood’ in our old language.
We didn't say anything for a while. In the distance we could hear the sound of our training partners sparring.
"Have you thought about running away?" he said.
"Where? How?"
"I don’t know, Brother. I dream about it sometimes. I can run faster than them. I am stronger than them."
"They will catch you. You'll die," I said as I closed my eyes.
"That wouldn’t be so bad. I just don't want to die here, with you looking at me with those eyes. Your eyes are scary, Brother. They are crazy."
"We are all crazy," I said.
I shook my head and sat up in my chair. I still clutched a half-eaten apple and I ate the rest of it and looked down at the soldiers. Another pair was fighting in the circle below. I sighed when I thought of Thayer. It was good to have more memories of the man.
I didn't think I was that hungry, but I devoured all the food again. Now I really couldn't sit still. I wanted to jump down to the field where the soldiers were practicing and fight them. I started to feel the energy through the Earth and the stone of the castle. The water in my blood swirled with the heat of my heart. I sat back and enjoyed the warmth spreading through my body.
I was so enthralled with myself that I hadn't heard the knock on the door the first time. Now it was being pounded on. I moved across my suite and opened it.
"Are you okay?" Nadea asked, concern on her face.
"I was out on the balcony and I didn't hear you at the door." She wore a white dress with purple flowers embroidered down the left side. Her hair was loose and fell straight down her back, glossy as silk. She wore thin sandals on her feet instead of her usual leather boots. It was strange seeing the powerful woman in such girlish clothes, she looked gorgeous either way, but from what little I knew of her I guessed this ensemble had not been her choice.
"I like your clothes," I said to her with a wry smile.
"Thank you. I have to dress like this in the castle or my father will have kittens." She smiled at me. Her mouth parted slightly to show her teeth. I wanted to run my fingertips across her dark red lips and then drink from them.
"Kittens?" I asked as I raised my eyebrow.
"Yes. Never mind. Can you come with me? We would like to meet with you."
I nodded. "Do I need anything?"
"No, just walk with me," she said as she pulled me into the hallway. I closed the door behind me.
Her arm slipped around my elbow and bicep on my left side as she led me through the labyrinthine halls. I smelled flowers on her hair, and her body heat brought out the scent of the lavender oil she wore. I looked over at the smooth, tan skin of her neck and shoulders. Her scent made my mouth begin to water.
"Are you okay?" she asked. I realized that I had forgotten to learn the word for sex from Paug. Then I remembered that she seemed to realize that I said 'hungry' to mean that word.
"I am hungry for you," I said as we approached a set of stairs. She looked back at me in astonishment.
"I can get you some food once we get to the meeting,” she said, face now composed, but her heart began beating faster.
"No. Hungry for you, not for food. I forgot to ask for the word from Paug. You know what I mean. When people want to make offspring they do this thing. What is it called?"
"Mating?" her lightly bronzed skin was a few shades darker now.
"Yes. I think that is the word. I want to mate with you. Now, actually. I really want to mate with you. Am I saying that right?" She stopped walking and faced me and her eyes were wide in surprise. “Maybe I said it wrong? You look upset. Did I say it wrong? Your heart is beating very fast."
"I keep telling myself that you don't know what you are saying, but then I realize that you know exactly what you are saying, and you say it anyway." She pulled my arm to keep walking. Then she looked down at our interlocked arms and withdrew from me.
"I'm sorry. I don't understand. Don't you want to mate with me?"
She stopped and turned around to face me again. She looked angry this time. A servant opened the door next to us and Nadea waited until he had moved down the hallway before speaking.
"You don't just say that type of thing to someone. It is too forward. Do you understand?" Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"No, I don't understand. I want to mate with you. You want to mate with me. What is the problem? I can make you feel really good. I want to make you feel really good. I'll touch and taste you everywhere." I looked at her again. Her body was definitely reacting to what I said.
"Kaiyer stop! Why are you saying this? We have to go to this meeting with my father! The king might be there too. Please concentrate on the matter at hand. We have more important things to be doing." She paused as another servant walked by, and then she continued in a whisper, "We have more important things to do than . . . what you are talking about." She crossed her arms and stuck out one of her hips. I could see the sleek shape of her thighs and stomach through the material of the dress.
"Okay. After the meeting then. We'll go back to my room," I said and continued to walk.
"No! Do you have only one subject on your mind?" she hissed at me.
"Yes. I've been sleeping for a long time. I want to mate very badly." I frowned. "How much farther?"
"We are almost there. I guess I haven’t thought about how long you have been sleeping." She stopped suddenly and grabbed my arm.
"Wait. Is it me? Or do
you just want to mate? Can we call it lovemaking? It seems less like animals are doing it if I use that word."
“Okay. I want to make love to you," I said as my hand caressed hers. She didn't move it away from me and I smiled. I wouldn't need the servant girl tonight.
"No. Do you want to make love to anyone? Or make love to me?" She raised an eyebrow and bit her lower lip as she waited for my response.
"I would prefer you. I asked Jessmei in the inn before the assassins attacked and she said that there wasn't a bed in the room so we couldn't do it. We don't need a bed to make love though." Her mouth dropped again and her eyes grew huge. For a second I couldn't tell if I had said something wrong.
Then I realized I had. Damn it.
Her lips turned into a sharp frown and she pulled on my arm again, letting it go once I had begun to follow her.
"This room." She didn't look at me as she opened the door. Her heart still beat quickly and I heard her breath coming out in an excited fashion.
It was a large room with a massive table in the middle. On the table draped an expansive, colorful map with various border lines and carved pieces of wood that I guessed represented troop placement.
They are going to cut us off here at the ocean and the wetlands. They are trying to force us into the open field. We'll be outnumbered three to one there. What do we do, Kaiyer?
I recognized the voice in my head, but it wasn't Thayer's or the old man with the cane's voice.
Four people looked up when we entered the room: Paug, his eyes bright and his smile huge; an older man with a bald head, a long white beard, and stained clothes; a middle-aged man dressed in an intricately embroidered, deep purple suit with gold trim, his brown hair thick and long; and a blonde middle-aged man that appeared to be dressed in a military uniform. He wore various insignias and medals pinned on his suit. He stood at attention and looked at me with suspicion.
"This is my father, the duke. This is Kaiyer," Nadea introduced us. I reached across the table and shook the brown-haired man's hand. His grip was firm and he smiled at me. He had light blue eyes that reminded me of Jessmei's. The duke was handsome, but I guessed that Nadea got most of her looks from her mother, since they didn't share any features besides hair color.
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